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This film from New Zealand is one of the best independent
movies I’ve seen in a long time…
The Maori culture/tribe believes in the
legend of Paikea, a man who escaped death at sea by riding home on the back of a whale.
The tradition has been that the firstborn son of the direct descendants of this man will
be the tribe’s next leader.
The tradition skips a generation when the
current village chief’s son realizes that it was not his destiny. Of course, this creates
a tension between father and son — and it becomes worse when the son’s wife gives birth
to twins (a boy and a girl), and the boy and the wife die during the
delivery.
The movie is about Pai, the little girl who survived and should
become the next tribal chief — though that isn’t something that her grandfather is
willing to help or acknowledge. In fact, he makes the decision to start a school for all
of the firstborn sons in the village to teach them how to become a tribal chief. When Pai
shows up at the first meeting, her grandfather disapproves but allows her to be there.
That changes when Pai will not take a seat behind the other boys. Her silent defiance is
met with complete banishment from the school — and the continued disapproval of her
grandfather. In spite of her banishment, Pai still sneaks to the back of the building to
learn what her grandfather is teaching. The question becomes how much Pai can learn
watching from a distance — and as the movie progresses, we find out exactly why Pai is
wise to follow her heart to her born destiny.
Whale Rider is a film
filled with many themes — including following your dreams, being true to yourself, and
facing the tensions between a father and son who do not view life the same. It’s also
amazing to watch how the village adapts to their changing culture, embracing the new ways
with the old. It is a beautiful film that handles everything with a realistic innocence
that is sometimes lost in movies today. You can feel empathy for Pai as she deals with a
very gruff grandfather, and it’s funny to see how her grandmother shares her own insights
about who is really in charge.
I recommend taking the hour and forty
minutes to watch this film. After that, I also recommend checking out the extras on the
DVD, including the featurette Te Waka: Building the Canoe, a behind-the-scenes
feature, deleted scenes, theatrical trailer, TV spots, and more.
Grade: A (movie) B+ (DVD)
